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Seven people die in rebel attack in Colombia

Other News Materials 12 February 2009 23:57 (UTC +04:00)

At least seven people - three police officers and four civilians - died Thursday in an attack allegedly perpetrated by leftist rebels in the northeastern Colombian town of Convencion, near the Venezuelan border, dpa reported.

The town's human rights official, Adrian Pesotti, said the police officers were called in to take care of a police emergency and were then ambushed.

"We have three police officers and four civilians dead, while a further 14 people were injured," Pesotti told Colombian media.

The injured were said to have been passing by when the explosion happened.

Colonel Richard Portilla, police commander in the Norte de Santander region, blamed the attack on the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN). He said some civilians were hit by shrapnel, while one youth got caught in crossfire that followed the blast.

However, General Orlando Pineda, police commander for Colombia's northestern regions, blamed the attack on the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

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